Dutch words for kids · Greetings & manners
How to say “good night” in Dutch
Bedtime is the calmest, most repeated part of the day, which makes good night one of the easiest phrases to make stick.
Good night in Dutch
welterusten
Sounds like ≈ vel-tuh-RUS-tun
Good to know: Welterusten ("rest well") is the bedtime good night. Parents also say slaap lekker ("sleep tight"). Goedenacht exists but sounds more formal.
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our Dutch songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
Wie zegt welterusten?
Who says good night?
from Welterusten (Good Night)
Welterusten, slaap maar fijn!
Good night, sleep tight!
from Slapen Gaan (Time to Sleep)
Slaap lekker, mooie boom.
Goodnight, sweet tree.
from De Boom (The Tree)
3 songs that teach it
“Good night” is one of the key words in these songs. Every line is shown in Dutch with its English meaning.
Welterusten
Good Night · Greetings · Free
- welterusten · good night
- bedtijd · time to sleep
- de maan · the moon
- dromen · dream
Doe Je Oogjes Dicht
Close Your Eyes · Bedtime Lullabies · Free
- doe je oogjes dicht · close your eyes
- slaap · sleep
- rust maar · rest
- sst stil maar · shh quiet
Droom Zacht
Sweet Dreams · Bedtime Lullabies · Premium
- droom zacht · sweet dreams
- dromen · dream
- zachte wolkjes · soft clouds
- zweven · float
Also sung in: In Mijn Kamer, Slapen Gaan, De Boom, De Maan en de Sterren, Mijn Dag, Lekker in Bad, Lekker Knus Binnen.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Say welterusten to each toy as it goes to bed, then to your child last.
- 2Look out of the window and wish the moon and the stars welterusten.
- 3Keep the good-night song as the last song of the day, every day. The routine does the teaching.
Related Dutch words
“Good night” in other languages
Sing it in Dutch, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Dutchhas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using Dutch songs with your family.